Concrete floor construction



w. F. SHEEHAN 2,268,311

CONCRETE FLOOR CONSTRUCTIONA FiledJuly '7, A1939 2 sheets-sheet 2 Dec. 30, 1941.

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Patented Dec. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFHCE CONCRETE FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Walter F. Sheehan, St. Louis, Mo.

Application July 7, 1939, Serial No. 283,133

(Cl. Y2-70) 9 Claims.

This invention relates to concrete floor construction; and has special reference to floors and the like composed, principally, of concrete embedding and associated with steel trusses formed to cooperate with the concrete to attain maximum strength for the concrete by use of steel trusses of minimum weight.

The present invention as illustrated in the drawings is a concrete oor construction comprising steel trusses having openings through the Webs which reduce to a minimum the Weight of the trusses and which may be i'llled with concrete from opposite sides of the trusses to form a monolithic body and to cause the upper and lower chords of the trusses to function efficiently as compression and tension members, respectively, to obtain maximum strength. In this construction, the bottom chords oi the trusses may be used to carry the loads during installation. In some instances, the bottom chords of the trusses are used to support directly specially shaped llers which remain as permanent parts of the completed construction. By use of these specially shaped llers, V-beams are provided including the truss and the concrete; the amount of concrete around the bottom chords of the trusses, whichare in tension, is reduced; and the amount of concrete about the top chords, which are under compression, strengthens said top chords Very considerably. These fillers may be made of diiierent materials and preshaped as arches so as to engage upon the bottom chords of the trusses in such a manner that no form work is required to support them during the construction period. It is essential that the depth of the llers be less than the depth of the trusses so that the concrete forms lls over the fillers and at least ilush with the top plane of the trusses. The iillers are also shaped to permit the concrete to form around and through the trusses and form a V-beam at each truss.

Various floor nishes, such as wood blocks set in mastic, strip flooring nailed to sleepers, cement finishes, linoleum, tile, etc., may be applied to any of the several diferent types of oors embodying the invention herein disclosed, depending upon the type of floor nish required by the specification of the diierent jobs.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved concrete iioor construction including the improved features mentioned and providing for the optional use of various floor finishes and for different types of ceiling finishes at the undersides of the oors in the varied forms of the invention herein disclosed.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description, reference being made to the annexed drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a concrete oor showing diierent iinishes which may be adjoining as shown, or otherwise optionally used, the fillers being retained at the underside as the ceiling surfaces.

Fig. 2 is a similar sectional view showing different floor nishes and a ceiling attached to furring members supported by the lower chords of the trusses, and means for utilizing selected llers as walls of conduits in the building.

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view of a concrete oor showing different ceiling forming means directly supported by the lower chords of the trusses.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the concrete on the line 4 4 of Fig. l, showing the metal truss and the wood block flooring in elevation.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a oor having forms engaging continuous supports suspended from the trusses and adapted to be removed to permit removal of the forms.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a floor of the type shown in Fig. 5 after the forms have been removed.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional View of a floor of the type shown in Fig. 5 having the ceiling furring members attached to the inverted U-bolt hangers suspended by the trusses and supporting a ceiling.

Fig. 8 is a similar sectional view showing the inverted U-bolt hangers supporting metal lathing for ceiling plaster.

Fig. 9 is a Vertical sectional view of a iioor embodying a permanent clay tile ller providing a plaster base to form a level ceiling.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional View showing features of the truss construction of Fig. 5.

In the specic embodiment chosen for illustration, each of the metal trusses comprises a web including a longitudinal central portion I and marginal portions 2, and a chord 4 along the lower edge. If desired, the upper edge of the truss may have a chord 3. Metal trusses of other shapes may be used, as desired, without departure from the invention.

The trusses have series of openings 5, 6, and l which reduce the weight of the trusses and receive the concrete, as-shown.

In floor construction, these trusses are rigidly supported by the building frame structure, so that the chords 4 are along the lower sides of said trusses. The trusses are placed in parallel relationship and spaced accurately so that, in forming concrete floors as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the arch fillers 8, which may be of stiff sheet asbestos or other appropriate material, will span the spaces between respective pairs of trusses and have their depending margins or springers 9 seated upon the lower chords 4 of the trusses and spaced from the webs so that, when the concrete is placed, it will enter the spaces between the fillers and the trusses and also enter the openings 5, 6, and lI, as shown. If it is desired to provide a flooring requiring them, wood sleepers ID may be attached to the upper chords 3 of the trusses by forming grooves or kerfs I I in the ends of said sleepers to receive adjacent flanges of the chords 3 and thereby support the sleepers I in alined series, or otherwise, so that, after the concrete has been poured, strip flooring I2 may be attached thereto by nailing. Then the concrete is placed upon the fillers 8 to ll the spaces between the different trusses and also to fill the spaces between the trusses and the margins 9 of the fillers. Thus, approximately V-shaped beams are formed by the trusses and the embedding concrete, and concrete arches between the trusses are formed. In this construction, the upper surface of the concrete is approximately even or level with the upper surfaces of the chords 3. When sleepers I0 are used in the manner indicated, their lower portions are embedded in the concrete and supported thereby and held rigidly from lateral displacement or vibration. Consequently, when the strips I2 are attached to the sleepers, the entire floor is rigid and free from oscillation or vibration, even though the sleepers extend above the upper surface of the concrete. The space thus provided between the floor strips I2 and th'e concrete may contain insulation material or applied to any uses for which it is adapted'.

As shown in Fig. 1, the floor may be extended to include blocks I3 of wood or other material set in mastic and thereby attached to the surface of the concrete instead of to wood sleepers, such as the sleepers I0. For convenience, the floor shown in Fig. 1 includes, in one section or part, the strips I2; and, in another section or part, th'e strips I2 and the sleepers III therefor are omitted and the floor surface comprises the blocks I3. In each instance, the fillers 8 constitute the ceiling surface at the underside of the floor and remain as a permanent part of the structure after having completed their function of initially supporting `the concrete in its wet condition.

In thatl portion of the floor at the right of Fig. 2, the concrete is below th'e top of the sleepers ID and completely covers the upper chords 3 of the trusses. Floor surfacing such as the strips I2 may be nailed to the sleepers I0, or any other appropriate type of floor covering may be applied and attached to said sleepers and supported by the concrete between the sleepers. Other portions of the floor may be finished with a cement finish I4 adhesively bonded to the concrete, and any desired surfaces may be covered with linoleum I5 adhesively secured to the cement. These varous floor finishes or surfaces may be in the same plane or in differentplanes in separate rooms and for different uses and purposes as desired.

The construction shown in Fig. 2 also comprises wood furring strips I6 formed with grooves or kerfs I'I in their ends to engage adjacent flanges of the chords 4 to support in the same or in adjacent rooms plaster board I8, or any appropriate type of lath I9 for supporting a coating of plaster 2D. In this construction, bottom walls 2l may be placed upon the furring strips I 6 and attached thereto or not as required to cooperate with the arch fillers 8 to form ducts 22 for the passage of air, etc., in air conditioning or heating operations. In this construction of ceiling, the lower chords 4 of the meta-1 trusses are entirely concealed by the ceiling.

If desired, tile flooring 23 may be attached to the concrete by cement 24 or the like. A ceiling may be provided to cover the underside of the floor structure by attaching rib metal lath 25 to the lower chords 4 of the metal trusses by fasteners 26 and applying a plaster coat 2I to the lath to cover the same and the fasteners 26 and conceal the floor structure. As in Fig. 2, any type of oor finish may be used and the ceiling arr-angement may be varied as desired.

Each of the several types of concrete floor construction shown in the annexed drawings is of monolithic formation fand comprises approximately V-shaped concrete beams 28, embedding the metal trusses having openings 5, 6, and 1 to receive the concrete, and concrete arches 29 spanning the spaces between the beams 28. In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the fillers or forms 8, 9 remain permanently in connection with the undersides of the floors, leaving it optional to attach ceilings to the chords 4 of the metal trusses or not. In Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, the same metal trusses and monolithic floor construction are shown. Fig. 5 shows removable forms for supporting the concrete in its plastic state, and Figs. 6, '7, and 8 show the monolithic formation of concrete oor after the forms have been removed, Fig. 6 without an attached ceiling, and Figs. 'l and 8 with attached ceilings. Each of these floors may have a cement finish 38'monolithically united with th'e concrete 28, 29, covering the upper edges of the metal trusses, embedding a wire mesh 3I that crosses the metal trusses, and having its upper surface smooth; or any other type of floor surface may be used as preferred. The lower chords 4 of the metal trusses are completely embedded in the concrete, the V-beams 28 extending substantially below th'e metal trusses, as shown, to afford fireproof protection. I'he removable forms for these concrete floors are supported by the metal trusses and, as shown, comprise arch plates 0r pans 32 formed with longitudinal outwardly extended flanges 33 and depending margins 34 adjacent to their respective edges. Beams or boards 35 are supported by inverted U-bolts 36 extending through the openings in the trusses and through holes 31 in the boards 35 and having removable nuts 38 screwed on their downwardly extended ends. Preferably, the arms of the U-bolts are spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the width' of the chords 4 of the metal trusses so as to engage opposite edges of said chordsand cooperate *therewith to attain rigidity oIf the parts.

A metallic V-shaped spacer 39 is located between the arms of each U-bolt and between the chord 4 and the adjacent board 35, so that all of the boards 35 are spaced equidistant below the metal beams to permit the concrete to pass into the space between the metal trusses and the boards 35 and completely embed the lower portions of said trusses as well as the short V-shaped spacers 39. The flanges 33 seat upon the upper surfaces of the boards 35, and the margins 34 extend downwardly into longitudinal grooves 40 in the upper sides of the boards 35.

Thus, the

flanges 33 of the form plates and the margins 34 of said plates cooperate directly with the boards 35 which receive the margins 34 within the grooves 40 to secure accurate and uniform adjustment and location of the form plates preparatory for placing the concrete thereon. After the forms have been assembled as shown and described, the concrete is placed thereon and therein to provide the monolithic structure including the V-beams 28 and the connecting arch formation 29 with the reinforced finish 30. After the concrete has become sufficiently hardened, the forms may be removed by detaching the nuts 38 from the ends of the U-bolts 36 to permit removal of the boards 35 and the arch and beam forming walls 32. Removal of the form plates 32 and their laterally extended anges 33 leaves a rabbeted formation 4I along the lower corner of each of the concrete V-beams 28. The arms of the U-bolts 36 extend substantially below the lower surfaces of the V-beams and may be cut off iiush with said lower surfaces as shown in Fig. 6, or retained to support furring strips 42 (Fig. 7) or rib metal lath 43 (Fig. 8), or other construction elements as desired.

In Fig. '7, the arms of the U-bolts 36 are extended through holes 44 in the furring strips 42 and have their ends bent to provide lateral extensions 45 supporting said furring strips 42. Any suitable type of ceiling may be attached to the furring strips 42, such as plaster board 48 or the like, or plaster 41 covering lath 48 attached to the furring strips. These ceilings may be in the same or in separate rooms, as desired.

As shown in Fig. 8, the ends of the U-bolts 36 are bent to provide hooks 49 engaging the lath 43 and supporting the same against the under surfaces of the V-beams 28. Plaster 5l! applied to the lath 43 embeds and conceals the hooks 49.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 9, the concrete Vbeams 28 and monolithic connecting arches 29 are dened and initially supported by fillers composed of clay tile or other appropriate material having upwardly converging longitudinal side walls 5I integrally uniting the lower walls 52 with the upper Walls 53. Separate longitudinal passages 54 may be provided in the respective tiles by vertical partitions 55 integrally uniting the lower walls 52 with the upper walls 53. 'Ihese passages may be used for various purposes, such as conduits for wiring, or air passages for warm or cool air in air conditioning. The longitudinal margins of the lower walls 52 of these tiles seat upon the lower chords 4 of the metal trusses, and the walls 5I at opposite sides of the respective trusses diverge upwardly so that the concrete may enter the spaces between the various tiles and metal trusses and form the concrete V-beams. The outer surfaces of the walls 5! and 53 of the tiles may be formed with grooves 56 and tenons 51 to receive the concrete and engage within the concrete, respectively, for rigidity. If desired, the under surfaces of the walls 52 may be formed with similar grooves 58 and tenons 59 to support a coating of plaster 60. Or, as shown at the left of Fig.` 9, the under surfaces GI of all or certain of the walls 52 may be smooth and may be either glazed or adapted to receive a coating of paint or enamel or other finishing coating.

Concrete floor construction embodying my improved metal trusses and monolithic arch and V-beam formation may be varied otherwise than in the particulars shown, and applied to other uses than those specically mentioned. I con- (ift template such variations as will adapt the invention for its intended uses and environments, and many such variations should be apparent from the foregoing disclosure.

I claim:

1. Concrete oor construction comprising a plurality of parallel spaced metal trusses each including a single vertical longitudinal web having series of openings therethrough and chords along the lower edges of said webs; and monolithic concrete formation including approximately V-shaped beams embedding said Webs of said trusses throughout their width and seating on and supported by the lower chords of said beams and also filling said openings, and arches spanning the space between said beams and having their lower edges seated on said lower chords and their upper surfaces approximately even with the upper surfaces of said trusses, the lower walls of said arches diverging upwardly from said chords along the lower edges of said webs.

2. Concrete floor construction comprising a plurality of spaced metal trusses each including a web having series of openings therethrough and chords along the upper and lower edges of said webs; sleepers unattached to said webs and engaging and supported by the upper chords of said trusses and extending substantially above the same; and monolithic concrete formation including approximately V-shaped vconcrete beams embedding said webs of said trusses throughout their width and seating on and supported by the lower chords of said beams and also filling said openings, and arches spanning the space between said beams, said concrete embedding the lower portions of said sleepers.

3. Concrete floor construction comprising a plurality of parallel spaced metal trusses each including a longitudinal web having series of openings therethrough, and chords along its lower edges; monolithic concrete formation including approximately V-shaped concrete beams seated on said lower chords of said trusses and also embedding said webs of said trusses and lling said openings, and arches spanning the spaces between said beams; and arch-shaped llers having their lower edges seated on and supported by said chords and forming arches between said beams, said concrete filling the spaces above said fillers approximately to the upper edges of said trusses.

4. Concrete floor construction comprising a plurality of parallel spaced metal trusses each including a longitudinal web having series of openings therethrough, and chords along its upper and lower edges; sleepers unattached to said Webs and engaging and supported by the upper chords of said trusses and extending substantially above the same; monolithic concrete formation including approximately V-shaped concrete beams seated on said lower chords and wholly embedding said webs of said trusses and filling said openings, and arches spanning the spaces between said beams and embedding the lower portions of said sleepers; and arch fillers having their lower edges supported on the lower chords of adjacent trusses and forming arches between said beams, said concrete formation filling the spaces above said fillers approximately to the upper surfaces of said chords and below the upper edges of -said sleepers.

5. Concrete floor construction comprising a plurality of parallel spaced metal trusses including longitudinal webs having series of openings therethrough and chords along the lower edges of said Webs; monolithic concrete formation including approximately V-shaped beams seated on -said chords and also wholly embedding said webs of said trusses and lling said openings, and arches spanning the spaces between said beams; arch-shaped fillers having their lower edges supported on said chords and forming arches between said beams; and means supported by said chords of adjacent trusses and cooperating with one of said fillers to form a duct within the iioor.

6. Concrete floor construction comprising a plurality of parallel spaced metal trusses including longitudinal webs having series of openings therethrough and chords along the lower 'edges of said webs; monolithic concrete formation including approximately V-shaped beams seated on said chords and also wholly embedding said webs of said trusses and filling said openings, and arches spanning the space between said beams; arch-shaped fillers having their lower edges seated and supported on said chords and forming arches between said beams; furring strips supported by and rising above said chords and extending across said arches respectively; and means supported by said furring strips and cooperating with said fillers to form a duct within the floor. v

7. Concrete floor construction comprising a plurality of parallel spaced metal trusses each including a longitudinal web having series of openings therethrough, and a chord along its lower edge; monolithic concrete formation including approximately V-shaped beams wholly embedding aid webs of said trusses and lling said openings and also seating on said chords, and arches spanning the spaces between said beams and having their upper surfaces approximately even with the surfaces of said beams; and means supported by said chords for supporting a ceiling below said concrete beams.

8. Concrete oor construction comprising a plurality of parallel spaced metal trusses including longitudinal Webs having series of openings therethrough and chords along the lower edges of said Webs; monolithic concrete formation including approximately V-shaped concrete beams embedding said webs of said trusses and lling said openings and seated upon said lower chords of said trusses, and concrete arches spanning the space between said beams; means supported by said lower chords of said trusses forming passages within the floor and within the spans of said arches; and means carried by said trusses for supporting a ceiling below said beams.

9. Concrete floor construction comprising a plurality of parallel spaced metal trusses having chords along the upper edges thereof; monolithic concrete formation including approximately V-shaped concrete beams embedding said trusses, and concrete arches spanning the spaces between said beams; sleepers attached to said chords and having their lower portions embedded in said concrete below said chords and their upper portions rising above said trusses and concrete; and iioor structure attached to said sleepers and separated from said concrete by an intervening space.

WALTER F. SHEEHAN. 

